The Weapon
by Sokkasm
Summary: Edward has made a terrible miscalculation. Drachma appears to be a place packed with flame alchemists, who decided to kidnap him for no apparent reason. What could possibly get worse? T for language.
1. Far From Home

**This story is officially starting since Cursed Alchemist is complete! **

**Just to warn you, this story will be much darker than Cursed Alchemist. I've been reading dark and sad fanfics lately, so I guess they have rubbed off on me. So, come back as soon as my other story is complete, and you won't be disappointed.**

**The cover art is also temporary...( edit: actually, I'm really starting to like it. The picture looks so much better on the computer than it does in real life...)**

* * *

Far From Home

It was another ordinary boring day on the Fire Nation ship, the brisk artic air sent chills through the crews' bones. They had been in the southern pole for well over a month in search of the Avatar. Everyone knew the Avatar disappeared 100 years ago, and it was likely he would never return, so why were they forced to travel the world in pursuit of a legend? Because their commander, Prince Zuko, would stop at absolutely nothing to find the legend.

There was a Water Tribe village about 50 miles away, which their commander had a hunch that could be the place his quarry was hiding. The men knew as soon as they inspected the village and found no new leads, they would continue with their foreboding journey that would never end. The legend gave the crew hope, for if he was miraculously found, they would be able to return home and never have to follow orders of their tyrannical commander.

Quite unexpectedly, lightning streaked across the sky; blue lightning. There was not a cloud in sight, but the lightning was real and blinding. A crew member grabbed the telescope and desperately searched the land once the spectacular lightning ceased.

"Prince Zuko!" The crew member cried out, "Come and see this." The prince grabbed the telescope and looked in the direction it was pointed to. Laying on the ice was a figure cloaked in black, and the hair appeared to be yellow. Never seeing yellow hair before, Zuko assumed it was a by-product of old age. The figure stood up with his back facing the ship. Suddenly, bright flashes of lightning emanated from the dark figure, and an ice igloo formed out of nowhere.

Zuko let go of the telescope and turned to his crew, with a new spark in his eyes. He almost looked…happy, a look never seen before on the banished prince.

"I've found the Avatar. Head for the light!" Zuko yelled to the captain, and no one dared to say he wasn't the one to find the person, for a crew member had spotted him. That would only end with disaster, so they decided to keep quiet and they prepared to apprehend the legend. They would finally return home.

* * *

Ed clapped his hands with great ferocity. If this didn't work, Envy and Ling would be trapped inside Gluttony's stomach forever, and a rebound would easily kill Ed. Envy said the souls trapped inside his Philosopher's Stone were lost causes, and they didn't have minds of their own. Ed foolishly believed the monster and used the Stone in an attempt to escape the vast stomach.

"Thank you." A lost soul whispered to Ed when he used him to sacrifice to the Gate. He cringed but concentrated on the portal. White space quickly surrounded the alchemist and he slammed into the ground in front of a large door.

"Ow." Ed said simply after landing on his broken arm. "Okay, I'm finally here." Ed sat up and looked at his door of truth. The design looked like tree roots and Ed turned his head slightly when he thought he caught a glimpse of something dark behind him. There was another portal floating directly behind him.

"Huh…Why are there two portals?" He looked at the door's intricate design, and then he noticed the thin scraggily figure that sat in front of the door. The figure was emaciated, naked, and had a wild mane of blond hair. The person was his _brother_.

"Al!" Ed jumped up and dashed to his little brother's body. Hundreds of little black hands wrapped around Ed to restrain and pull him back. "Al!" Ed was being pulled back, but he desperately tried to fight through the hands. He had been right about his and Al's soul being entwined. They were connected, so going to the gate meant he could get his brother. "Al! Come on! Hurry!"

"I can't" Ed stopped moving and watched with disbelief as his brother's body stood up and spoke without a metallic tone in his voice. "You're not my soul. I can't go with you.

"..Agh…arrghh!" Ed was being pulled farther into the doorway, which was starting to close. "Alphonse! One day soon, I'm coming back to get you, no matter what! Just you wait!" Ed pointed to his brother and the doors slammed shut.

Something immediately felt off when he spiraled back into the real word- it felt cold. He landed on the freezing ground, which hurt his broken arm some more, and bright light seemed to blind him. Once Ed's eyes adjusted to the light, all he could see was white. It didn't feel like he was in the portal, and there was a very strong salty scent. He turned and realized there was an iceberg infested ocean behind him. His arm and leg ports started to throb from the cold. Where was Envy and Ling? Where was Al? Where was anything?

Ed stood up and took a step forward, which resulted with him slipping and falling on his behind. He quickly realized he was standing on ice and cursed to himself. His body shuddered and he wished he was wearing warmer clothes. Was this some sort of joke? Truth was going to pay if it was somehow behind this, which was probably the case.

The cold was growing unbearable, and Ed was starting to wonder if he was in Briggs, or worse, Drachma. He had never been to either place, but he doubted those places were this desolate. If he was in Drachma, he would've been surrounded by the enemy in no time. Ed clapped his hands and created an ice shelter, hoping to escape the cold. It was a little bit warmer inside, and the confused alchemist tried to fall asleep as his stomach growled- the last thing he had eaten was his own boot.

Sleeping helped keep his pain and hunger at bay, but his eyes flashed open when he heard ice cracking. Ed climbed out of his shelter and was surprised to see a large ship breaking the ice in front of him.

"Civilization!" Ed cried out, but then regretted it. What if these were Drachman soldiers? He was just going to have to use his charm and fast words to get out of this one. The large pointed walkway fell down and embedded itself into the ice, and men wearing red armor came pouring out of the boat. They were equipped with spears, which seemed unusual; they should be carrying guns. Ed was surrounded, but he wasn't going to start panicking yet. He was just going to have to explain this was all a simple misunderstanding.

* * *

Zuko walked down to join his men and take his prey into custody. He was shocked when the person he had been hunting for three years was in clear view. The quarry was covered with blood, but there was no way all of the blood belonged only to him. He was wearing thin black clothes, which was ridiculous considering the cold weather. Something was wrong with his arms and left leg. A leg and arm appeared to glint in the sunlight, which was probably some sort of armor or weapon. The other arm was set in a makeshift wooden sling. The hair was a strange color, almost golden, that was tied back in a ponytail. The most disturbing feature of all was his age and height; he was just a little kid.

"You're the Avatar?" Zuko sounded curious at first, then his voice started to turn hostile. "You're just a child!" A spark went through the child's eyes, and his face seemed to go from fearfulness to rage in the matter of seconds. He clapped, which looked strained, then touched the ground and a wave of ice erupted which knocked over Zuko's men. The kid ran, but Zuko wasn't going to lose to a brat that easily. The soldiers got back on their feet and everyone went in pursuit of the presumed Avatar.

The kid turned around and clapped his hands again, which created a large ice wall between himself and the soldiers. "Fire!" Zuko shouted and they shot fire at the meager wall to melt it. They blasted a hole through the obstacle and discovered the boy hadn't run away yet. His face looked smug, but it quickly turned into mortification when the wall was destroyed. What idiot used ice to block a firebender anyway?

Foolishly, the child turned and continued to run. He wouldn't be able to run forever, he had to be tiring out by now. The kid slipped and fell on his side, then skidded several feet.

"Damn!" The strange child yelled. Zuko was shocked that the 'peace bringer' to the world, much less a child, would swear. His men rushed over to the fallen child, but stepped back when he clapped and touched his own arm. A blade abruptly appeared out of no where and the wielder swiped at anyone who came too close.

"Seize him!" Zuko commanded. He didn't care if someone was scratched in the process; he could almost feel the warm Fire Nation air when they approached the Avatar. The kid stood up and slashed the incoming spears in half. Zuko groaned, he wanted to get this over with, but the kid started to sprint. Zuko breathed and chose a stance, then he sent a fireball towards the fleeing target. The kid saw the threat coming and he dodged to left, but his footing was off and he fell again, this time landing on his splinted arm.

"Damn ice!" The kid didn't get up right away like he had previously done, which gave Zuko and his men more time to catch up with the fast boy. The child managed to get to his knees, but he seemed to freeze. He completely ignored the soldiers and rubbed his right shoulder like it pained him. Zuko went behind the kid and yanked him by the hair.

"Get up!" He ordered. He wasn't planning on carrying the kid all the way back to the ship. The child did no such thing, and before Zuko knew it, the blade on the kid's arm sliced his leg. Zuko let go, surprised that anyone dared to attack him. To prove a point, and show the kid who was boss, Zuko blasted a fireball directly in front of him. The golden eyes widened, and the child tried to back away until his back bumped against one of his men's legs.

"I didn't mean to come here. Let me go home." The boy sounded overly confident, but there seemed to be a twinge of worry in his voice. Surely, the boy didn't live in that ice shelter. "I'm not a spy." The boy added like it would help his case. Of course he wasn't a spy; there was nothing here to spy on. So why did the child assume they thought he was one?

"Get up." Zuko repeated. The boy shook his head defiantly.

"I can't." The boy was starting to tick Zuko off, so he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. The child started to violently cough, and his face was pale. Zuko let go, and the boy crumpled back to the ground. The boy lifted up his pant leg and inspected his leg. His _metal_ leg. It was not armor, it was actually drilled into his knee. There were large scars around the spot metal met flesh, but the skin was a light blue color; the starting stage of frost bite.

Zuko motioned one of his men over. "Tie him up and set course for home." The boy looked angry, but there wasn't much he could do. There was the sound of a clap and Zuko watched as his soldier went flying across the ice. He glared at the boy, and at the ice fist that was next to him. The child smirked, daring anyone to come closer. This was growing old, and a bracing breeze started to pick up, causing everyone to shudder.

If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. Zuko stormed to the child and grabbed his splinted arm before he clapped.

"Don't touch me." The child groaned and tried to pull away, and a look of anguish spread across his face. Zuko put the arm behind the boy's back, ignoring the pained protests and swears coming out of his mouth. "Let go!" He sounded like he was hurt, but Zuko had to subdue the child so he didn't cause any more damage. Quickly, Zuko grabbed the other arm and tied them together.

"Stop it! Let me go, bastards!" The boy was slung over a soldier's shoulder and they confidently walked back to the ship. Everyone was thrilled they were going to finally leave the wretched place, well, everyone but their captive. He was not a happy camper. He kept kicking his legs and shouting. The ineffective attempts no doubt were starting to drain the boy's energy, especially with his nearly frostbitten limbs.

"Untie me and put me down." The child kept growling.

"Silence."

"I'm not a spy.

"Be quiet."

"Come on, I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"Shut up!" The soldier carrying the boy was beyond irritated, and he couldn't wait to be rid of the annoying child. It wouldn't be much longer until they returned to the Fire Nation.

* * *

Ed was taken into the bowels of the ship, which was noticeably warm. Immediately, relief hit Ed when his automail ports were no longer festering. His restrained arms were a different story; his broken arm was twisted in an awkward position behind his back. He bit his cheek so he wouldn't moan and let these Drachman soldiers know he was in terrible pain.

None of them had listened to his pleas of innocence, and they set Ed down not to gently on a metal slab. An iron door slammed behind him and a faint amount of light seeped through the bars. An old man came into view and stood next to the guy with a large scar on his face.

"Who's this?" He asked and looked disapprovingly at the scarred boy.

"The Avatar. After three long years…we can finally go home." The boy left, but the man remained and looked into the cell.

"Hello there, son. How are you?" The man sounded kind enough, but Ed wasn't buying it. And he was no one's 'son'. He scoffed and struggled with his bindings, not trusting the seemingly nice man. These people kidnapped Ed, there was no way they were going to start treating him with respect. He turned his head to avoid those gazing eyes.

The thought of Alphonse started to fill Ed's mind. He wasn't going to let these Drachman bastards keep him here when his little brother needed him.

"Please," Ed didn't say that word often, but he was desperate. "I'm not a spy. I know I shouldn't be here, but honestly, I have no idea how I got here. Let me go home."

"What?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. I'm a State Alchemist. If they found out you're keeping me hostage, they'll come here and kill you all off." It was a bluff; the military wouldn't give a damn about him. They would trust the mighty Fullmetal Alchemist would find a way to get out of trouble on his own.

"Who are you?" Ed could hardly believe it. Why was the man playing dumb? Ed decided to admit his identity, hoping they realized they kidnapped the wrong person.

"Edward Elric." Nothing. No look of recognition or fear, just confusion.

"I see." The man walked away and left Ed alone. He had to get out of here before the bastards got any funny ideas with their new prisoner. Would they resent him now that they knew who he was? It was a stupid idea to tell the seemingly gentle man who he was, for now his identity was going to be given to everyone on the ship.

"Stupid!" Ed kicked the wall as hard as he could.

* * *

"Prince Zuko…"

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko didn't feel like being pestered, he wanted to rejoice.

"I don't believe that boy is the Avatar."

"What?! Then who is he?" Zuko's eye twitched at his uncle's assumption.

"I don't know, but he's not the Avatar." Zuko yelled and sent spurts of fire into the air.

"Then get him off my ship and look for the real Avatar!"

"No, Zuko. He'll die out there." Curse him! Uncle was a softy, and Zuko knew he wouldn't win an argument about this with him.

"Fine. We'll wait until we find a village, then he leaves." Zuko folded his arms and headed toward his chambers. This peasant with the strange hair had caused his hopes to rise, but now, they were crushed.

**As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. The update will be here before you know it. **


	2. Nothing I Won't Do

**Okay, since many of you read the first chapter already, I'll put my one and only disclaimer here: FMA is owned by Hiromu Arakawa. ATLA is owned by Bryan and Mike. Uso (lies) and Rain are owned by Sid. Melissa is owned by Porno Graffiti. (Who names a band that, anyway?)**

**Again, this story will be dark in comparison to Cursed Alchemist, given due time.**

**DreamweaverAki: Thank you. I will continue it, just not right away….and I already know how everything plays out, bwahaha!**

**Gift of the Dragons: Hmm, good point. Thanks for reviewing. :)****  
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**The OMG Cat: Thank you! I'm going to keep the cover art for this one as it is.**

**AkumanoshippoNiamh: By the way, I have your username programmed in my autocorrect. …I do get satisfaction with tormenting Ed, it's just so fun! Don't worry, the similarities between this and CA are minimal.**

**ZeroKnight115: Thank you. I look forward to writing this.**

**KeyStar11: Why, thank you!**

* * *

_Do you somehow remember, how we gazed up at the atmosphere_

_And how watched the sunset go and fade away?_

_As I walk to the future, I'll still keep the promise that I made_

_From all those endless summer days._

* * *

Nothing I Won't Do

42 minutes. That was precisely how long it had been since Ed discovered he was in Drachma, somewhere deep in enemy territory. Those past 42 minutes had been rather eventful at first, but the last half hour had been dull. A guard came in during that time and unbound Ed from the tight ropes, and he felt instant relief when his broken arm was no longer twisted painfully behind his back.

Ed decided not to escape with alchemy until night approached and there was less people awake. There was no need to make things more complicated than they already were. It didn't seem the Drachmans thought he was a spy because he should've been interrogated, or shot, by now. He was even given a small cup of hot tea, which warmed Ed up when he sipped the delightful liquid. Drachma was a country known for its brutality and harsh people; it was unfathomable to think they would give him a pleasant drink.

43 minutes. Ed sighed and put the pocket watch away. He was surprised it hadn't been taken from him, then again, maybe they would when they decided to question him. It wasn't fair that he had been thrown into a cold place where it was difficult for him to fight back. His broken arm only added to the unfair disadvantages. There had been nothing but ice around him when he was trying to throw off his pursuers, and water was not Ed's forte. Now, he was trapped in a cell on a metal ship. Ed smirked; he could work with that.

* * *

Many of the soldiers were overly curious about the new prisoner. They offered to deliver food and tea to the newcomer solely for the purpose of catching a glimpse of the strange boy. General Iroh claimed the child was not the person they were looking for, but the soldiers were still wary. The kid had golden hair; that had to be a sign of spirit shenanigans! Plus, it looked like the boy could bend lightning and water at the same time.

"How do you explain his bending, Iroh?" A soldier asked the old General in passing.

"An illusion?" The old man shrugged his shoulders, and the soldier was baffled. Iroh seemed to know everything about the physical and spiritual world. The thought of the wise man not knowing an answer was unbelievable.

"Where is he from?"

"I do not know." Iroh was holding a kettle of steaming tea and smiled. "Let's go ask him." They walked down the dark stairs and into the rarely used prison hallway. There were only four cells, which hadn't been used in years. The dust and stale air proved this. They reached the gray iron door and Iroh politely knocked. The only response was silence.

"Young man? Are you awake?" Iroh and the soldier both peered through the bars expecting the child to be asleep. What they found was the boy crossing his arms and staring maliciously ahead with his bright golden eyes.

"What do you want?" The kid sounded annoyed and angry. That was certainly strange, usually when people, especially children, were captured, they sounded frightened and scared. This boy's glare of defiance and hatred proved he was not afraid.

"We only want to talk with you." The boy blinked once and said nothing while retaining his hostile expression. He seemed to be staring them both down, challenging them to see who would be the first to look away. This went on for several minutes until Iroh and the soldier glanced at each other when they were unsure what to do next. They looked back at the child, and saw a sly grin sprawling across his face.

"I'm a little busy right now. Please leave a message after the beep. Beep." The kid said with a bored tone in his voice while glaring at the two men.

"Beep?" The soldier asked Iroh curiously, who looked just as confused. "What do you mean?" The soldier raised an eyebrow inquiringly to the prisoner.

"What?" The boy let out a throaty laugh. "Don't you idiots have phones up here?" The soldier wasn't sure which part of the statement was more confusing; 'phone' or, 'up here'. He never heard of a phone and they were almost as far south as possible.

"Where are you from?" Iroh asked softly.

"South." Iroh unlocked the door and the kid's eyes seemed to widen at the sound of the click and repositioned himself to sit up straight. He appeared to be bracing himself, but Iroh only opened the door to give the prisoner a refill of hot tea, and closed it gently. The boy stared at the cup apprehensively and made no moves to grab the tea.

The soldier and Iroh decided to leave the prisoner and went up the main deck. A bright flash of blue light exploded through the air, and everyone aboard had a familiar feeling. When the golden haired boy showed up, blue lightning streaked across the sky. This time, the light did not crackle and it looked more like a beam than lightning.

"Head for the light!" Zuko announced.

"Yeah, we haven't heard that before." One of the sailors mumbled, but not quietly enough.

"It came from an incredibly powerful source. It has to be the Avatar!"

"That's what you said about our prisoner, too."

"Be quiet! That was just…heat lightning!" No one was brave enough to contradict their angry commander. "Now sail to the light!" The ship was bustling with frantic sailors and soldiers. They went full steam ahead and would hopefully arrive at their destination before the sun went down.

"Sir!" The soldier who visited the prisoner bowed to Zuko.

"What is it?" Zuko asked harshly.

"The prisoner claims he's from the south. There's intelligence of only one more village down here before there's nothing but ice." Zuko stroked his chin and thought.

"The Avatar is hiding out there. Looks like we'll make a trade. Go fetch the prisoner." The soldier nodded and rushed below decks. "This will be easier than I thought." Zuko said to himself.

* * *

Ed drank the tea as soon as the two guards walked away. The old man seemed to be nice, but it was only a matter of time before they came back and questioned him. He was obviously Amestrian, and there was no reason for him to be in a foreign country. Plus, he stupidly told them he was a State Alchemist, so why didn't they accuse him of being a spy yet? Maybe they were still coming up with horrible torture plans.

'Clank'. Ed could hear the noise of someone walking down the stairs. 'Clank…Clank. Clankclankclank.' The hollowed footsteps stopped and sounded like normal thudding footsteps. Whoever was coming was now off the stairs and quickly approaching the cell. The door creaked open and a guard shuffled into the small cell. This was the moment Ed was dreading. Interrogation and torture were synonyms in Drachma.

"Come." The guard said dully. Ed stood up and made sure he looked confident and calm.

"I don't know anything." Ed stated assuredly. The guard gave him a quizzical look.

"What are you blabbering about?"

"Nothing you plan on doing to me will make me talk." The soldier looked confused.

"You're wanted on deck. Follow me." The man turned and glanced over his shoulder to make sure Ed was coming. Ed was wondering why he wasn't being bound; didn't they see him as a threat? They walked up the stairs, and Ed dragged his feet solemnly like he was being led to an execution.

Once on deck, all of the soldiers were looking at Ed like a zoo animal. A guy with a scar on his face and a stupid ponytail sauntered over and stood ominously over Ed. The weird looking guy was very _tall_. Ed gulped and prepared for whatever the Drachmans had planned for him.

"We're taking you home."

"What? Really?" Ed was astonished and looked at the teenager with distrust. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." This wasn't right. No way were his enemies going to take him without questioning him. Obviously, they were trying to catch him off guard. Now, these people were capable of flame alchemy, and Ed wasn't aware Drachma had any alchemists, but these guys were using it. All he had to do was destroy the arrays on their gloves and they would be helpless.

Ed clapped his hands quickly and transmuted a blade onto his arm before anyone knew what was going on. He sliced at the guard's hands, then the scar kid's, and was satisfied to see a trickle of blood running down their palms. Then his stomach seemed to twist and swell. There were no arrays on their hands.

"What the-?" Ed started, but was interrupted by a loud bellow.

"You little peasant!" The teenager threw a punch short of hitting Ed and fire came spurting out of his tight fist. Instinctively, Ed dropped to the ground and rolled away, despite the pain in his broken arm and sore ribs.

"I'm not short!" Ed shouted and clapped his hands, forcing the metal to bend around all of the soldiers' feet. More fire was sent his way, but the blasts were easily avoidable.

Some of the guards managed to slip out of the meager binds since Ed didn't have much thought beforehand when he trapped the people. Unfortunately, one of those people was the angry jerk. Ed rushed towards the edge of the boat and prepared to jump on the ice below.

His heart sank. There was no ice. They were in the middle of the ocean going nearly 30 knots an hour. There was nothing solid for Ed to land on, and he wouldn't survive in the water. He didn't know how to swim, but even if he could, he would die of hypothermia. There were a few icebergs nearby, and if Ed timed his jump right, he could possibly land on one. Just as he climbed on the railing to jump, the angry jerk grabbed his leg and pulled him down.

"Where do you think you're going, peasant?"

"Away from you bastards." His heart was thumping faster, but he still tried to retain his composure.

The boy held his fist angrily in the air, threatening to use his freaky, but dangerous, alchemy. "Fix my ship." He demanded.

"Yes, sir." Ed replied with a sarcastic tone, and returned the ship's deck back to normal. "Happy?"

"No." He was frowning. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Ed stood up and cocked his head. The angry boy clapped his hands mockingly.

"Bend metal."

"You should know." Ed crossed his arms.

"I don't. Tell me!"

"Alchemy, dumbass." Ed stopped trying to be careful with his words; he didn't know what game these Drachmans were playing, but he didn't like it. Before the teenager could ask another question, a red flare shot into the sky and exploded. A telescope was handed to him, and he scanned the area the flash had came from.

"The last airbender. I've found the Avatar." He put the telescope down. "Go wake up my uncle!" He then turned his head slightly to Ed. "Looks like you're going home soon." Ed didn't understand. Amestris was hundreds of miles away, and a trip by boat would take weeks, if not months. Wait, Amestris was landlocked, and as far as he knew, so was Drachma. Maybe he wasn't in that dreaded country after all and was simply in a different northern country. It actually made sense now, since these people weren't that hostile. Usually.

A village was coming into view, but the ship was not stopping. It was going to destroy those homes…

"Hey! Slow down, or you'll destroy the village." The command to slow down was given, but the ship was still on a collision course with a large ice wall surrounding the huts.

"Right, wouldn't want your house getting destroyed." The idiot sneered. These people thought he lived here?

"I don't live-" Ed was interrupted when the ship's bow broke through the ice, causing his balance to fail. The soldiers were quickly putting on heavy armor and Ed's hands were tied firmly in front of him. The cold air was starting to sting at Ed's skin, especially around his ports. He didn't have the luxury of warm armor and heavy clothes.

The bow of the ship opened and the walk way imbedded itself into the snow. Ed was pulled forward like a dog on a leash.

* * *

Sokka stared with awe as the Fire Nation soldiers came down from the ship. He charged the one in front in a desperate attack, but was shoved into a snow bank. Sokka popped his head out of the snow so he could see what was going on to properly handle the situation. A small bound boy in black with golden hair was being led behind the commander.

The boy did not hang his head low; he looked forward with a ferocious determination gleaming in his eyes. If the child had been a few years older, Sokka would've guessed he was a captured soldier, retaining his pride. But who was the boy? He had never seen anyone look quite like him before. The eyes were golden, like many Fire Nation citizens, but his hair was unusual. Maybe he was a captured rebel. Possibly a hostage. Could be a slave. They were all probable explanations.

"Where are you hiding him?" The guy in front demanded and stepped on solid ground. "I'm willing to make a trade. Bring him to me and I'll give you your little peasant back." Did he mean the strange kid?

"I'm not a pipsqueak!" Sokka wasn't sure he'd ever seen anyone so angry before. "I don't live here, you bastards!"

"Shut up!" One of the guards said and tugged on the rope.

"I know you're hiding him!" The angry guy shouted. Sokka had enough and attacked the commander again. His spear was destroyed, and Sokka threw his trusty boomerang, which hit the commander in the back of the head.

After the angry firebender recovered, he created fire daggers and threatened the water tribe inhabitants. Out of no where, the kid with the gold hair head butted the guard holding his binds and kicked the commander in the back of his knees.

"Those are civilians. Don't touch them." The boy spat to the firebender who was now regaining his footing.

"Take him back to the ship." The child was dragged back into the ship by several guards.

Sokka didn't know who the strange boy was, but he was thankful he stood up for his people.

* * *

Ed was shoved back into his cell and no one had bothered to untie the tight ropes around his hands. There was a pain in his chest that wouldn't go away, but it was nothing too unbearable. He sat quietly in the dark, trying to figure out exactly where he was. What other northern countries were there? Drachma was pretty damn big and took up most of the northern part of the map. Ed felt stupid, he should have paid attention to small details like that. It seemed like the only thing he ever paid attention to was anything having to do with the Philosopher's Stone, or anything pertaining to his brother. Nothing else mattered.

An hour or two later, someone opened his cell door. It was a small bald kid with a strange blue arrow on his head. "Sorry!" The kid yelled and slammed the door. Damn! Ed could've gotten out…stupid kids…Why was there another kid on the ship, anyway?

Not long after, a guard opened the door and grabbed the rope. "Are you going to punish me for being right?" Ed scoffed. The guard didn't respond and walked him through a door that led into a large warm room. There was a large tapestry on the wall that had a flame design on it.

"You have some unusual talents." A cold voice came from the corner. It was the stupid jerk. "Let's make a deal."

"I'm not making a deal with _you_." Ed emphasized his hatred and malice towards the commander.

"Capture the Avatar, and I'll take you back home."

"Like hell you-" Ed stopped. He made a promise many years ago to his brother that they would return to their bodies. Following the idiot's orders might be the only way to keep his promise. "You swear you'll take me home, and won't drop me off in some icy dump like you just tried to?" The jerk nodded his head. "Fine. Take these ropes off; I won't be your dog." The guard untied the ropes and Ed rubbed his sore wrist.

"You can stay with the crew. Go." It seemed both boys had been upset about making the deal, and they both had no choice but to make it. Ed wondered who this Avatar person was, and why he was so important.

Ed was shown the places on the ship; the break room, bathrooms, dining area, and the sleeping quarters.

"So, uh, now what?" Ed asked awkwardly. This was one of the strangest situations he had stumbled across.

"Dinner's in an hour. Here." Ed was given a mop and bucket, and his guide left him alone.

"Equivalent exchange." Ed muttered as he began to clean the dirty, grime infested floors.

* * *

**Honestly, I didn't know what genre to put this under. Since there are only 24 ATLA FMA crossovers, I don't think it really matters that much.**

**The update will be here **_**after**_** you know it… **


	3. Diminuendo

**Alright, consider this fan fiction officially up and running! Updates are going to be different from Cursed Alchemist; I won't have a set date. If you look at my profile every night at around 10 pm (central time, Unites States) I will put next to this story's status how many words are in the upcoming chapter. If I do not update on a given day, assume I had no time to write at all. Given what you all know of me, my chapters are typically 3,000-5,000 words long, so hopefully that helps.**

**Thanks in advance for reading (maybe reviewing, if you are feeling merciful.)**

* * *

_The shadows that hide behind my smile_

_Extend within every sole expression_

_Pretending that I'm someone else_

_And giving a false impression._

* * *

Diminuendo

"And what do you expect me to do with this?" Ed questioned while turning a strange object in his hands. The thing was made of brass and it was adorned with copper buttons. It was approximately 12 inched long, and not very wide. Toward the top the metal tube made a loop and ended with a bugle-like mouthpiece. The strange, but stunning, instrument looked like a combination of flute and trumpet.

"You play it. Tonight is music night." A sailor named Chang responded cheerfully, which made Ed automatically groan. Once a week, everyone was exempt from their grueling duties for the night to play and listen to music. Sure, it was a great idea and all, but Ed didn't see why he had to participate.

"I don't even know what this thing is." He just wanted to go back to his chambers and sleep. Sleeping was the best way to deal with the slight seasickness Ed was feeling constantly; he had never been on a ship before, and the past two days of rocking waves was starting to take it's toll.

"It's a soprano Tsungi horn. You wouldn't be able to hold the baritone, so I figured you could play the smallest one." Ed wasn't musically knowledgeable, and he didn't know what the difference between a soprano and baritone instrument was. He was, however, positive of one thing. Chang had just made a crack at his height.

"Who are you calling so small he could use this as a support beam for his house?!" In the process of defending his stature, Ed carelessly dropped the delicate horn against the steel floor.

"Hey!" The sailor protested. "Those are hard to find in good condition. You broke it!" Ed looked at the horn and saw a few copper pieces had broken off, and the main shaft was bent at an odd angle. He piled the broken pieces together and clapped his hands, then touched the instrument.

"There." Ed held the fixed horn in his hands. "Better than before."

"Good." Chang closed his eyes and sighed a breath of relief. "Do you mind playing it to see if it is properly functioning?" Ed shrugged his shoulders and put the mouthpiece in his mouth.

He blew, but no noise came out. He twisted the cold metal piece around with his tongue, figuring he was holding it wrong.

"It's not a woodwind." The man chuckled.

"Hmm?" Ed said through the mouthpiece, which echoed inside the instrument.

"Only your lips go on the mouthpiece." Ed took the nasty tasting piece out of his mouth and wiped the dripping saliva off with his coat. He put the horn against his lips and blew. Still, no noise came out.

"This is stupid! I don't even want to go to music night." He grumbled.

"You could sing instead." Horror struck Ed's face. He refused to sing. When he had just joined the military, he had been caught singing in the Central Command showers by Mustang, and the stupid colonel never let him live that one down.

"No. I'll keep trying." He was only met with more failure.

"Try buzzing into it."

"What the hell does that even mean?!" Ed shouted irately. The damned horn was really pissing him off. "Pretend I'm a little horsey and make farting noises into it? This is dumb!" Ed brought the horn back to his lips and mockingly made farting noises into it. To Ed's surprise, noise came out of the bell.

"Precisely…" Chang responded, shocked Ed had figured it out on his own.

"Whoop dee doo. I still don't know how to play it, or how to read music."

"It's not that hard to play, and music is fairly simple to learn. I can help you on my next break." Chang waved and left to complete his duties. Since Ed was an involuntary worker on the ship, the crew did their best to not give the boy many tasks when their commander wasn't around.

Ed inspected the miniature Tsungi horn and compared it with the big one on the wall. He carefully set the small horn down and walked to the wall where the big instrument was fastened. The big one didn't have any buttons on it at all, whereas the small one had four prominent valves. That hardly seemed fair; less buttons would've meant it would've been easier to learn how to play. Ed grabbed a chair and stood on it so he could grab the bulky hunk of metal, and to his surprise, it was much lighter than he anticipated.

He tried to find a way to position the horn correctly around his neck, but nothing seemed to work. The bell drooped well past his knees and the mouthpiece was level with Ed's forehead. Defeated by the abnormally large instrument, Ed put it back and reached for the easy to handle mini horn. He held it with his right hand and used his left to manipulate the buttons. The noise coming out of the instrument was rather horrid, but it was still better than no noise at all. Ed experimented with the fingerings, and tried to perfect the correct technique for blowing air into the instrument. It sounded similar to a torture device, but with every passing minute, Ed's practicing gradually made the ear splitting noise sound less painful.

* * *

Music night was only a few hours away, and Ed still didn't know how to read music. After several hours of doing nothing but playing the horn, he finally figured out how to properly play it. The effect of playing the horn for hours made Ed's cheeks and teeth feel tingly, but the noise that now came out of the bell sounded pleasant.

"How are you doing?" The door opened quietly and Chang entered the room.

"Good. Now I just need to learn notes."

"You can't learn how to read music in an hour." The sailor chuckled. "Come on, it's time for supper." Ed didn't budge.

"You said tonight is music night. How am I supposed to play if I can't read music?"

"For tonight, you won't have to. You'll just keep the beat for now."

"Huh?" Chang went to the center desk and pulled two silver objects out of the drawer, then handed them over to Ed. Cautiously, Ed grabbed the L-shaped silver piece, and then a narrow long piece. "What's this?"

"Something to keep beat with. All you'll have to do is count by hitting the stick against the metal." Ed experimentally tapped the two pieces together and frowned; it sounded exactly like a triangle.

"I can play the horn. I don't want to keep beat. Honestly, I think I can learn music in a few hours."

"Whatever you say." Ed could see Chang roll his eyes as he dug out several pieces of sheet music. "Here you go, this is what we are playing tonight. Are you sure you don't want to eat?"

"Yeah. Just bring me something to eat later. I want to figure this out." Ed ignored his rumbling stomach and looked at the papers covered with lines and notes. To him, it looked like a foreign language. The notes made no sense, and Ed wasn't sure how to correlate the fingerings with the score. Irritated, Ed randomly moved his fingers and made up his own song. The noise upgraded from torture to dying cat.

The progress was little and painstaking, but it still made Ed feel proud. He learned how to play an instrument! …Sort of… There was no way he was going to be ready to play by the end of the night. If he could convince Chang to give him lessons, Ed could kill two birds with one stone.

Ed followed the smell of food and found the cafeteria with ease. The food didn't look too pleasing, so that helped keep his hunger at bay.

"Kid? What are you doing?"

"You can call me Ed." He had forgotten none of them had any proper introductions. "I'm not ready yet. I was wondering if you could help me." _Cast_.

"I don't know, I've got a lot of work to do."

"I know, but you're the best there is." Ed looked at the man with innocent pleading eyes. _Bait_.

"Well," Chang's eyes lit up. "I'm no teacher, but I think I could…" _Reel_.

"So you can help me as soon as possible?" _Set_.

"Sure. I'll help you right away." _Dinner_. Ed grinned; these sailors were pretty easy to manipulate. Chang finished his food and took Ed to the small music room to learn notes.

"I appreciate this. Learning how to play this is the only way I can find happiness trapped on this ship." He proclaimed overdramatically and uncharacteristically. Ed knew if he gained the trust of the crew members, they could help him get off the stupid boat. Unfortunately, the best way to gain their trust was to acquire sympathy. Ed hated being pitied and feeling useless, but making himself look like a harmless victim appeared to be working in his favor.

"No problem. I just hope the prince doesn't think we're slacking off."

"Prince?"

"Prince Zuko. He's our leader."

"The guy with the weird ponytail is a prince? Of what?"

"The Fire Nation." Ed searched his memory for any mention of a country by that name. Nothing.

"Where exactly is that?"

"North." Chang chuckled. He showed Ed a note and the corresponding fingering.

"Uh, where are we at now?"

"The southern pole." The sailor frowned. "How exactly did you end up on that glacier?"

"I don't know." Ed lied. So they were far south opposed to far north. This did help a bit, since he wouldn't have to cross the dangerous country of Drachma. He would most likely have to pass through either Donbachi or Aerugo, maybe even through Xing. Those three southern countries bordered the ocean, so that seemed like the logical thing to do.

"Amnesia?" Ed nodded his head. If these people thought he had memory loss, they wouldn't ask too many questions.

"I thought so. Apparently, you were talking about weird things when they first found you."

"Oh?" Ed had only told them he was a State Alchemist; what was so odd about that?

"I don't remember what you said. Something that started with an 'a'?" Chang was satisfied when Ed finally got his first note down. He had Ed switch to 'C'.

"Alchemy?" Maybe the southern countries didn't have alchemy, but they still should've heard of it.

"Yeah, is that what you call your bending?" What the hell? Did this guy watch him when he stretched?…Pervert. Perhaps these people called their strange fire alchemy bending. That had to be it!

"Yep. That's what it is." By this time, Ed had learned the notes; C, D, A, B, and E. Gradually, the noise from the instrument was sounding more and more pleasant.

"Okay, two more notes. Then we get to learn about flats and sharps."

"…Uh…"

"Don't worry, we won't learn those tonight. Let's just worry about 'F' and 'G'."

* * *

"What are you doing?" The door flew open and Zuko stormed into the room. Chang nearly leapt out of his seat, but Ed barely even turned his head.

"Learning how to play the Tsungi horn." Ed stated with a dead voice, then he lifted the small instrument so the prince could see. "Wanna try?

"I already know how to play it. Now get back to work!"

"Sorry, no can do." Ed yawned.

"Why not!"

"Well, I'm not your employee. Second, my arm is still injured." Iroh had re-wrapped Ed's arm and gave him special tea to drink periodically throughout the day. It had a slight sedative effect to it, which was the only reason why Ed could still manipulate the valves on the horn with his hand.

"We are almost at the mainland. After we fix my ship, we'll get you a healer. Just remember, as long as you are on my ship, you are mine to command." The jerk turned to walk away, but Ed would never allow anyone to talk to him like that.

"Hey!" Ed shouted angrily after him. "How do you expect me to find who it is you're looking for if I don't know anything about him?"

"He's the Avatar." He replied plainly.

"Meaning?" Ed motioned with his right arm for Zuko to keep explaining.

"Master of all four elements. Vanished a hundred years ago. Sound familiar?" The spite in Zuko's voice was intense.

"Not really."

"Have you been living under a rock your whole life?" This spoiled brat was starting to get on Ed's nerves.

"Don't talk to me like that, you stupid-"

"Idiotic peasant! Don't you know who-?"

"I don't give a rat's ass who you are!" Ed quickly erupted into the teen's face. Neither Zuko or Ed noticed when Chang slipped out of the room to escape the boys' fury.

"You need to learn some respect." Zuko growled and Ed maintained his cold stare.

"I'd like to see you try." Ed said angrily and mockingly. Zuko raised his arm back, but Ed anticipated the move early on and grabbed the offending arm with his automail. With one swift motion, Ed flipped Zuko over and pinned the jerk to the ground, and kept his automail leg on the kid's back to keep him down.

"Uncle!" Ed looked up at the doorway to see who Zuko was addressing. "This is not what it looks like." Ed chuckled darkly.

"Liar, this is exactly what it looks like. I just kicked your ass."

"Boys," Iroh spoke gently with a slight smile. "Why fight when I just made a fresh batch of tea?" Nobody moved. "We are anchoring at the port in a few minutes." Land? Ed lifted his leg off of Zuko and zipped up the stairs onto the main deck. The sailors were tying up the ship with thick ropes and chains; Ed had never felt happier to see a grungy town. He jumped off the side and ran down the wooden dock.

He still felt like he was on a rocking boat, so he swayed and nearly fell when he was trying to find solid ground. Ed wasn't running away, he just wanted the feeling of earth beneath his feet, but apparently, Zuko thought he was trying to escape.

"Get back here!" Ed turned his head and lost focus, then ran right into a man. The force of the impact sent both people to the ground. The man with the large sideburns stood up and glared at Ed, who was still too dizzy to recover. Mr. Sideburns picked Ed up by the collar of his shirt and watched as Zuko plodded over.

"Is this yours?"

"Captain Zhao?" Zuko asked with malice. Ed blinked his eyes rapidly to get rid of his double vision and wobbliness.

"I'm a commander now." Ed rolled his eyes; he knew enough arrogant people with power, he didn't need to know any more. Ed pulled himself out of the man's grasp and stumbled backwards into Zuko's side, who responded by nudging him away. "Ah, so he is yours. I thought you would've trained your men to have manners."

Ed was able to snap out of his unsteadiness and clapped his hands, creating a small blade on his arm. Zhao looked shocked, but Zuko only groaned.

"How's that for manners? Hey, Jerk, is this guy the Avatar?" Zuko's eyes widened and he gave Ed an 'I'm going to kill you painfully' look. "Can you take me home, now? He shouldn't be hard to catch." Zuko whapped Ed aside his head and whispered with his fists and teeth clenched.

"He's not the Avatar, idiot!"

"Oh my, that's an interesting little talent you have." Zhao grinned at the blade in front of his face. "And what was that about the Avatar?" Zuko clamped his hand over Ed's mouth.

"Nothing." Zuko turned around and walked back to the ship with Ed. "Don't say anything about the Avatar." Ed slapped Zuko's hand away and returned his arm to normal.

"Next time, I'll bite your hand."

"You wouldn't dare." Ed snatched Zuko's arm and brought it threateningly close to his teeth. Zuko recoiled and loosened away from Ed's iron grip.

"I'm serious. Don't touch me again or I'll knock you out." Zuko couldn't believe a child so small could be filled with so much anger and distrust.

"Fine. Come on, we're wasting time." Zuko gave up (for now, at least.) trying to command the temperamental kid; he was far too stubborn. Ed held his left arm carefully, which did not go unnoticed.

"Why didn't you remind me about your arm?" Ed shrugged his shoulders. "Follow me." Zuko turned around and brought Ed to a healer not too far from the shipyard. The look on Ed's face when the healer started to bend water was priceless; it looked like he had never seen water bending before and immediately backed away from the healer.

"Stay still." Zuko commanded softly. "She's only healing your arm." Ed nodded his head, but his mouth was open from shock. He seemed to be intensely studying the woman as she healed his arm.

"All done." The healer announced and Zuko paid her for her services.

"How'd she do that?" Ed squinted his eyes in frustration. "There was no array."

"What are you talking about?" Ed looked up to Zuko like he forgot he wasn't alone.

"Never mind. You guys probably use some sort of weird chi found in the land like they do in Xing."

"What?" Zuko had never been more confused by a statement.

"In Amestris, we have to use arrays and runes to use alchemy. You use something different." Zuko never heard of either Amestris or alchemy. The kid was most definitely a whack job. They reached the ship, but the repairs still were not complete. Ed clapped his hands and fixed the damage the Avatar had caused the previous day.

"That's for my arm." Ed looked at Zuko apprehensively and walked towards the sleeping chambers. Zuko didn't understand the boy at all, but his thoughts were cut off when Zhao boarded the ship.

* * *

Commander Zhao was an idiot, and the biggest coward Zuko knew. The agni kai was won by Zuko fair and square, but that idiot Zhao tried to redeem himself by attacking Zuko. It was a good thing Iroh intervened when he did.

The sun was starting to set over the sparkling blue ocean, and the reflected beams of stunning light blinded Zuko's eyes. He knew the entire crew was in the dining hall, preparing for the night's entertainment, so Zuko went up to the captain's quarters to make sure everything was securely locked.

He opened the cabin door, and was shocked to see someone standing in front of a large map next to the steering wheel. The golden hair of the person was hard to miss.

"What are you doing up here?" Zuko wasn't angry, he was merely curious. Ed didn't jump or flinch at the noise; he seemed too absorbed in the map to hear anything. "What's wrong?" Even though Zuko didn't really care for the kid, Ed was still his responsibility for the time being.

Ed slowly turned his head to face Zuko. His eyes were wide and full of sadness. "Is this the whole map?" The words were choked and quiet.

"Um…yeah. Why?" The long silence that filled the room was entwined with sorrow. Ed turned his gaze to the map and he intently studied it. "Uh…Is everything okay?" Zuko knew he had to keep his secret weapon for capturing the Avatar happy. If Ed was upset, he would be useless.

"Yes." The forcefulness of the word made it evident that everything was _not_ okay. "I'm missing music night." Ed stated disinterestedly and he left the room. Zuko followed him to the dining hall, then sat down next to his uncle. The musicians were getting their instruments ready. Ed reached for the soprano Tsungi horn on the wall, but one of the sailors shook his head and gave the boy a small silver instrument.

After a few hours of music, the crew began to disperse and went to bed. Iroh helped put the instruments away while Zuko sat in the shadows. They could've been searching for the Avatar, but music night was supposedly a necessity.

"That was very good playing tonight, Ed. Way to keep the beat." Ed's scowling face seemed to painfully twist into a small smile.

"Yeah." Ed said dejectedly. "Maybe next time I can play the horn."

"You sure will." Iroh walked away to help the others pack up, and Ed's face returned to a frown. Iroh and the others may have fallen for Ed's seemingly upbeat attitude and smile, but Zuko knew better.

It was all an act.


	4. A New Drive

_I sit alone waiting for_

_Someone telling me that you're okay and where you are_

_The nights that don't seem to last,_

_And coming dawns that went by so fast._

_Their meanings of everything were not far_.

* * *

A New Drive

Ed sat on his firm bed with a thick piece of parchment and an inkwell in his hands. He was trying to draw a picture of his brother, but it wasn't turning out well, given Ed's limited ability when it came to art. The room he was given was shared by one other person, who Ed didn't really feel like talking to.

Some of the sailors tried too hard to converse with Ed, for their own curious selfish reasons. They pestered him constantly and complemented his Tsungi horn talents, even though Ed knew he still sounded terrible. Overall, Ed felt horrible; he wanted to vomit and wake up from this foreboding nightmare. In the depths of his heart and mind, he knew this wasn't a dream.

He was stuck on this ship full of men who only wanted to go home. Ed knew how those poor people felt, but at least they could eventually return to where they belong. He was trapped on the wrong side of the gate, and there was nothing he could do about it. Ed didn't know what he was supposed to do. Should he abandon his shipmates the next time they docked? No, he needed these people so he could survive in this strange land. Then again, he wasn't too positive he wanted to survive…

"Dumbass!" He proclaimed loudly to himself. No one would ever forgive him if they knew what Ed was thinking. His few friends and family would want him to keep fighting and stay strong. So that's what he was going to do.

He was most certainly not a quitter, but that didn't mean he wasn't upset about his current position. Being stuck here meant he failed. He wasn't going to be able to restore Al's body while on this side of the gate. He was the worst big brother, ever,

"Hey? Are you all right?" Ed lazily looked up at his roommate.

"Just a little seasick." Homesick, he mentally reminded himself. Ed grabbed a new piece of parchment, drew his brother's seal on it, and hung it above his bed.

"What's that?"

"A reminder." The sailor looked at Ed, shrugged his shoulders, and left to complete his duties. He was once again alone in the room, not sure what he should do. They were approaching an island where their quarry was supposedly hiding, and Ed was unsure of what he was going to do. There had to be a way out of here somehow. There was always a way. Maybe the reason this Avatar was so important to capture was because he was this place's version of a homunculus. If that was true, Ed could use the lives that the Avatar was made up of to return home.

Now Ed knew what he was going to do; he was going to capture the Avatar and return home, no matter what. Of course, the information they received about the Avatar hiding out on an island was a rumor, but they were going to check it out anyway.

"Hey, you, come here." Ed looked through his messy bangs to see who had spoken, and he made no indication to move when he discovered it was Zuko.

"I have a name." Zuko seemed to be deep in thought, trying to remember what Ed's name was.

"Ed, come with me." Ed lazily stood up and followed Zuko to the lower level of the ship. It smelled like a stable, which was exactly what it turned out to be.

"Take whichever one you would like. We'll be hitting the island soon." Ed peered into one of the stalls and was shocked by what he saw. He was expecting horses, not brutish chimeras. "What's wrong?" Zuko was glancing at Ed with a questioning eye.

"I've never ridden one of these before. I think I'll just walk." He shuddered at the thought of riding a creature that resembled a chimera, even though this animal was probably an everyday normal animal in this land.

"Suit yourself." Zuko stood next to Ed and handed him a bulky red bundle of clothes. "Put these on."

"I'm not wearing a uniform." Ed had never worn assigned clothes, and he wasn't going to start now.

"It's not military. They're just spare clothes."

"Fine!" Ed replied angrily and rushed back to his room to change. He had to admit, his current clothes were a disaster; they were covered in blood, tattered to near shreds in some places, and they smelled terrible. He quickly put on the new wardrobe and was happy to find out the red fabric was thick and well made for cold weather, so his automail ports wouldn't sting as much when he was outside in the freezing air.

Ed wasn't used to wearing something so baggy, but it was relieving to have a fresh change of clothes. He took off the cloak and set a bowl of ink on top of it. With a quick calculation, Ed clapped and added a black flamel symbol to his new clothes. He put the cloak on and opened the door to join everybody up on deck.

"What's that?" Ed spun around and nearly bashed Zuko in the face.

"None of your damn business." Ed snapped, even though he wasn't sure why he didn't want the jerk to know what the flamel symbol represented.

"Whatever." Ed could tell Zuko was using all the willpower he had to not go into a yelling rage. "We're ready to go." Once on deck, Ed followed the men mounted on the chimera creatures to solid ground.

"I want the Avatar alive." Zuko announced to his men. "You go on ahead." He was now only addressing Ed. "Since you're walking, you are stealthier than we are." Ed nodded his head and he quickened his pace to a light jog. It wasn't long until his shipmates were out of view. Why they choose to ride conspicuous, lumbering beasts, Ed didn't know.

Townspeople were scrambling around the streets, completely oblivious to Ed's presence since he was running to the town in the safety of the small forest. He could see several girls dressed up in some sort of costume hiding behind buildings like they were planning to ambush Zuko when they entered the town.

A girl with a long braid was standing next to a familiar bald kid; it was the same one that opened Ed's cell door on the ship. Maybe this was who he was looking for. To confirm his suspicion, Ed walked out of the forest and snuck up behind the two. Unfortunately, the girl spotted him, and both kids turned around and took on a defensive position.

"Who are you?" The bald one questioned.

"Look at his clothes." The girl spoke to the boy quietly, but loud enough for Ed to hear. "He's a Fire Nation prisoner."

"Oh. Do you need help?" The boy asked Ed. Fire Nation prisoner? Ed was most certainly not a prisoner, well, at least not Zuko's prisoner. He could leave the ship and its crew whenever he wanted to.

"Yes. I'm looking for someone. I was wonder-"

"Find him!" A loud voice roared from the village. Leave it to that dumbass jerk to ruin the mission by being so hasty and pushy.

"It's Zuko! We need to get out of here." The girl panicked, and they both looked ready to run. "Come with us." She motioned Ed to follow. Deciding he might be able to get a little more information out of the two, Ed ran with them into the forest.

"Wait, what about Sokka?" The boy asked when they all leaned against a tree to catch their breath.

"Hopefully he saw us running this way, and he'll follow us." She sounded doubtful. Both kids began to stare at Ed like he was the most interesting thing ever.

"Who are you? Are you a spirit?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"What? No." This place was messed up if the kid thought he was a spirit.

"I thought maybe…because your hair…"

"My hair is fine." Ed growled out.

"You came from Zuko's ship. Oh, that must've been awful. Are you okay?" The girl sounded sincere, but Ed was confused. Sure, Zuko was a pain, but he wasn't terrible. It wasn't like it was torturous living on the ship.

"I'm fine." He wished people would stop asking him how he was feeling.

"Are you hurt?" The girl was concerned.

"No." The pain he felt from being ripped away from his brother was not an easily fixed problem. It was also something he didn't want to explain to a complete stranger. "My name is Ed." He offered with a fake smile; maybe one of these two was the person he was looking for.

"I'm Katara, and this is Aang." The girl responded and Ed inwardly cursed to himself. Neither of them were the Avatar.

"Hi. Now, do either of you happen to know where I could find the Avatar? It's really important." Both children looked at each other, reluctant to say anything.

"Why?" The boy glanced at Ed carefully.

"I need his help." Yes, as soon as he caught the Avatar, he would be able to get out of this hellhole.

"How can I help you?" The boy asked cheerfully. Ed could hardly believe a child so young was such a dangerous person. It was probably a disguise to deceive people, so Ed clapped his hands and turned his right arm into a blade to apprehend the threat. The girl and boy's eyes grew wide with fear.

"What are you doing?" The girl shrieked. Ed didn't answer, instead, he charged at the Avatar. The boy quickly moved aside, which caused Ed to run into a tree instead of his intended target.

"Get out of the way, he's dangerous." Ed told the girl.

"If you need my help, why are you attacking me!?" The boy shouted.

"You're a monster! I know you have hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives trapped inside of you." Ed tried another attack, but the boy was too fast.

"You're insane!" When Ed made another move to attack, the girl stood protectively in front of the boy and she flinched when Ed came closer. Ed gripped her shoulders gently and moved her out of the way. What he wasn't expecting was the girl coming back to punch him in the chest.

Normally, it wouldn't have hurt, but he had bothersome chest pains ever since he landed in this place. When he was punched, something felt wrong. It was almost felt like his ribs were cracked, and that blow wasn't helping the pain. The Avatar then seemed to send an invisible blast at Ed when he managed to regain his poise.

Ed was smacked violently against a tree, and he slumped to the ground. He didn't have enough energy to stand back up and fight. The only thing he could manage to do was hold up a hand to his pained chest.

"What did you do?" A new voice accused, so Ed peeked an eye open. There was a guy in girls' clothing looking harshly at the Avatar. Ed coughed violently which gained the attention of the newcomer. "Hey, I recognize him. He stood up for our village when Zuko attacked us. Did he escape from the ship?" Ed looked at the hand he hacked into and saw his saliva was mixed with blood. That couldn't be a good thing.

"Sokka, he attacked us." The girl said sympathetically. "He's on their side." Ed let his hand fall to the ground and he closed his eyes while trying to avoid the sharp jabs in his chest every time he took a breath.

"That doesn't mean you can kill him. Besides, look at him. He's obviously being forced to do this." Even though his eyes were closed, he could tell all three were staring him down. Ed wanted to protest that he wasn't on any side, and no one could force him to do anything. When he tried to talk, it only resulted with him sputtering out more blood and spit.

"He won't die. I don't understand why you care at all when you don't even know him. You still don't even trust Aang!" The girl spoke loudly.

"That's different."

"No, it's not!" Ed couldn't help but think these two were siblings. Carefully, Ed opened his eyes slightly to get a better hold of his surroundings. A ball of fire caused him to squint his eyes from the brightness. There was no way that was the sun, and sure enough, the fire struck a nearby tree.

"Guys, please stop arguing." The bald boy spoke. "We need to get out of here." Quickly, the three kids ran and the soldiers from the ship soon reached the spot where Ed was leaning his back against a tree. More specifically, it was only Zuko. Ed blinked away the haziness from his eyes and looked up at the jerk. He seemed to be contemplating about leaving Ed where he was to follow the Avatar.

"'M'fine." He managed to choke out, and Zuko started to lead the not-a-chimera into the direction of the fleeing children, that is, until he watched Ed cough. He climbed down from the beast and angrily looked toward the beach where he knew the Avatar was running. "Leave me 'lone." Ed tried to straighten himself to make it look like he was feeling better. It didn't fool Zuko.

"You are not okay. Come on, I'm taking you back to the ship." Zuko didn't know why he was helping the stubborn brat when the Avatar was still on the island, just waiting to be captured. Something in his mind shouted at him that he needed to help the injured boy in front of him. People in danger always had priority.

"No." Ed didn't make a move to grab Zuko's outstretched hand to stand up. Zuko awkwardly lifted the surprisingly heavy child and placed him on the komodo-rhino's back. He kept one hand on Ed's back to make sure he didn't fall, since that would only worsen his condition.

Zuko commanded two of his men to take Ed to his room once they reached the ship. He could see the Avatar's bison flying away from the island, and Zuko groaned irritably. He shouldn't have sent Ed after the Avatar alone; he wouldn't be making that mistake again in the future.

* * *

"You should've left me there. You could've gotten him." Ed's condition improved immensely over night, but Zuko could see the drool stains on the boy's pillow were pink in color.

"I can't have you dying." Zuko only came down to give Ed a batch of Uncle's tea to help stop whatever it was that was causing harm. Ed insisted he didn't need to see a healer and that this would solve itself.

"Why not?" Ed challenged. Zuko blinked. He honestly didn't know how to answer that question. When he saw Ed heaving in pain surrounded by three kids, the first thing he thought was, Avatar! Then he thought it was pretty cowardly for a three-on-one fight. He almost pitied Ed while he sat there helpless, when the thing he was looking for was only inches away from him. The last thing he felt was anger; those kids had dared to harm his subordinate in an unfair fight! On the other hand, did Ed really count as his soldier? He didn't know what Ed was to him anymore. Definitely not a friend, but not a foe, either.

"Just get some rest. We have a general idea where the Avatar is headed."

"Good. I'm gonna kick that little brat's ass next time I see him." Ed had a grim smile on his face, which Zuko recognized to be real. A new fire was now burning in his eyes.

* * *

** Sorry for the short chapter, but I promised several people I would update today, so I'm sticking to my promise. Since I'm writing two stories at once, I'll alternate which chapter I update. So my next update will be for Altruism. I promise the next chapter for this story will be much longer. And I keep my promises.**

** Thanks for reading!**


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